While Hast’s story began with the shirt, it naturally continued with another renowned long-sleeved garment: the work jacket. A monument of the men’s wardrobe and a flagship item of French cultural heritage, this garment inherited from the Industrial Revolution has quite literally never ceased to inspire us (and win you over).
For several years, we have chosen to interpret it by skilfully blending tradition and modernity, cultivating both its working-class roots and its extraordinary adaptability. Drawing on our shirtmaking craftsmanship, we have enriched our latest collections with elegant, authentic work jackets, suited to the demands of the modern workers who make up our clientele. From the models of yesteryear, favoured by craftspeople for their practical virtues, we have retained their charm and practicality; to which we have added a wholly contemporary elegance through bold fabrics, original colours and high-end finishes.
As a nod to this enduring passion for the most tricolour of garments (and its continued adoption by artists), we wanted to include a work jacket in our capsule collection. In a limited edition, you will find this little gem among the ten icons created exclusively for the occasion.
Everything you need to know about its construction?
Having entered the pantheon of clothing, the work jacket is fundamentally a pragmatic garment: it must protect workers and make their lives easier. The first task is generally fulfilled by a robust fabric resistant to heat, cuts and other hazards; while the second is achieved through generous patch pockets for carrying tools. From the toil of carpenters to the celebrated “blue work jackets”, it is this dual function that guides the creation of every worker jacket worthy of the name. Replace oil stains with paint splashes and spanners with brushes, and you will understand why so many artists quickly took a liking to the manual worker’s best friend.
With our selvedge painter’s jacket, we wanted to pay a heartfelt tribute to this unique history. To begin with, we naturally honoured the garment’s traditional design: a regular fit, three patch pockets, five horn buttons on the throat and a magnificent chevalière collar. These elements have shaped the legend of the work jacket over the decades, and there was no question of doing without them. To these defining constants, we added our own touch by choosing an absolutely remarkable fabric: a blood-red Japanese selvedge denim.
This finished-edge cotton twill, recognisable in particular by its famous selvedge, is produced on increasingly rare specialist looms. Beyond the richness of its texture and its more expressive hand, selvedge is far stronger than classic denim owing to the singular nature of its production method.
Fortunately, we came across this fabric through Nona Source, a unique platform that resells deadstock from the LVMH group. The tone was set. Looking for something to dress our work jacket, we came across this roll of fabric in a red you know well (as it is the colour of your humble servant) and were left speechless. A selvedge denim in this shade was precisely the synthesis we were seeking between robustness and originality, between reliability and boldness, between yesterday and today.
Combined with the historic codes of the work jacket, this upcycled fabric brings Hast’s DNA to the heart of a garment canonised by two centuries of faithful service. Between fidelity and independence, respect and responsibility, coherence and conscience, our selvedge painter’s jacket embodies the vision we have upheld for 10 years: placing our values of honesty, exacting standards and authenticity at the service of style… and vice versa.
Boundless versatility
Worn by the working class from the early days of the Industrial Revolution to the present, embraced by artists over time and adored by advocates of workwear style, the work jacket has more than proved its worth in terms of versatility. For years, we have explored its potential by interpreting it in different fabrics and colours, without exhausting its unfathomable resources.
While it comes into its own when paired simply with chinos, it is equally happy to play the role of a jacket in a smarter “fostume”, including with a tie. Seemingly boundless, its versatility is exceptional, allowing the work jacket to work with every look, from the most casual to the most formal.
In this exclusive, colourful version, it is a safe bet that it will embrace this role wholeheartedly, opening up opportunities for memorable looks. Over a t-shirt, shirt or fine jumper, paired with jeans or suit trousers, worn wide open or buttoned right up, you only need to slip it on to get it right.
How should you care for the red selvedge jacket?
As this piece is intended to be worn over your clothes, it should not get dirty too quickly. As a result, two to three washes a year will be more than enough to keep it clean and immaculate. Between these thorough cleans, a few dozen minutes in the open air on a hanger will allow it to air out, dispel any odours and disinfect it. As for cleaning itself, we strongly recommend doing it by hand, in barely lukewarm water with an organic detergent. Once done, press it to remove most of the water, but avoid wringing it out, as this may damage the cotton fibres. Simply leave it to dry on a wooden hanger until you are ready to wear it again for new adventures.
